Latch



July l0, 1928.- 1,676,867

R. G. MOORE ET AL l LATCH iled June 17, 1926 INVENToRs `30 claims.

Patented July 10, S1928.

l RAYMOND @MOORE AND ARTHR @AnD-MANTLE, 'or BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT," 7

AssIGNoRs To THE BAssICK COMPANY, ork BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, A COR- IPORATION Y OF C0NNE(PIICU'JT.A

Application led Janel?,

' It is particularly proposed to provideia V latch having a-spring actuated latch bolt,

and a spring actuated operating handle adapted to be yieldably retained in its lnormal position independently of the position of the latch bolt.

A further object is'to provide alatch which may be used with' equal facility on either a right or left hand door.

VAnother object is to provide a. construction in which the handle may, by simple vadaptation methods, be made to operateeither upon an axis at right angles to, or parallel to, the direction of movement ofthe latch Y bolt.

With the aboveV and yother objects in View, embodiments of our vinvention vare shown in the accompanying drawings, and these -embodiments will b e hereinafter more fully described with reference thereto', andl theinvention will be finally pointed outl in the Fig. 1 is a plan elevation of a latch, -ac- 'cording to one embodiment of our invention;

` Fig. 2 is aside elevationthereof;

Fig. 'is'a bottom plan view; Fig.l 4 is a' longitudinal .sectional lview, takenr along the line lr-,4 of' Figpl, and showing in dotted lines the retract-ing position of the handle and latch bolt;

VFigs. 5, 6 and 7y are perspective views, re- -spectivelyof the casing, the latch bolt and the lever'handle; i' i V p Fig. 8 is a plan elevation l'offa modified fformof thelatch; v

v Fig. 9 is la simi-lar view, showing the handle and latch bolt in retracting position; I

Fiom 10 is a sectional View, taken along'the D line l0-10 of Fig.` 8;

Fig.l 11V is a bottom plan view; f Fig. V12 is a perspective view yof member employed therein; and 1 Fig'. 13 is a sectional view thereof, taken along the line 13-13 of Fig. l2.

Similarl reference charactersl indicate 'con a lever vLATCH.

192e. 'seriai No. 116,529.

responding parts throughout the several figures fof the drawings. .a

' Referring to the drawings,pand more par-I ticularly to Figs. l to 7v thereof, the latch according tothe embodiment shown therein V.comprises a hanged-sheet metal case 20, ofr vertically,elongated shape, vraised in spaced` relation to the ends, as at2-l, and provided in each o f the end portions with holes 22 'for y,

engagement vof attachingscrews. A pair of apertured handle-supporting^ears.23 and 24 are blanked fromV thecasing, forming holes 25 and 26 therein, and are bent upwardly at right angles to the casing to provide .pivot .snpportsfor the handle, said holes 25jan1d 26 f beingmbetween said ears. A central aperture 27 1s provide-d between said holes, yfor the pivotal support of a lever member, 'herein-v after more fully referred to. ,In the vertical side flanges of the case there'are provider aligned. slots'28 and 29 for the latchbolt, and ineachof thefendv flanges prongs 30 are' punched inwardly, and Iserve, to retain the latchbolt spring, hereinafterreferred to.

The handle 31, formed of sheet metal, is

provided with right angularlv bent side flanges 32 and 33, aperturedas at34 foren* gagement of a pintle, and atthe forward lowerfedg'e `portion of oneY of ysaid flanges thereisl provided a4 downwardly extending f finger 35,-' The handle is hingedly mounted upon'V thecasing,xbetween the ears 23 and 24 by, means of a pintle 36, lthe"lower'edges-.of

the flanges 32 and 3,3 resting upon the top of Y the casing and the finger 35 `extending'into the samev throughthe lhole 25,*the holes 25 and 26 'permittlng swinging movement/'ofthey handle fromlthe position' shownin full lines (Fig. 4), with ythe anges'abutting the casing', to the dotted line posit-ion, with the 1.

forward transverse-edge ofthe handle abutting ther casing.v AV spring 37jcoiled about the 'pintleBG -has one end engaged with the under forward surface of the handle, and 'its other end engaged in the hole 26, and yield- `ably retains the handle inits normal position. Y

provided at' its Aupper and lower edges-with oppositely :disposedy 'aligned proj ecting lugs The latch ,boltl comprises a flat rectangular strip/of sheetr'netal 38, of relatively heavy gauge, beveled at its'fnose end,as`V at 39,V 'and' or fingers 40; The latch `bolt is slidably eny gaged-in the slots 28 `and with one of thei s lugs 40 engaged with the finger85 of the.

` from the -nose Vend 39 to the rearward edges where it'enters beneath the keeper.

ofthe lugs 40 Vis; slightly less than .the inter-lor width ofithe casing, so that by first engaging thef tail end inthe slot 29' to a point where the lugs 40 abut the casing, the

nosel endy may be inserted in the slotQl, the springvtl' 'bringing the same intofprojected positionwith one of the lugs abutting the finger of the handle and thereby limit-ing the projection of the bolt. 1

Y Fig;4 clearly illustrates theoperation of the latch, the latch bolt adapt-ed `to engage asuitable keeper 43 provided with a vbeveled strike portion' 44 adaptedl asthe door ,isV

Closed to press the bolt inwardly to a point lDur- Y ing' the pressing in of the Vlatch boltf bythe strike,v the'han'dle is heldV` against movement by its spring 37,. sof. that the'bolt has'afree, easy, and relatively kquiet movement, 'and the handle is prevented from rattling.V The latch bolt is retracted by swinging the handle outwardly, as shown in dotted lines,V this moveinent'bein'g substantially Vin the direction of opening ofv tliedoor, soy that theflatch handle also effectually serves asa handle for the door. Iii'- case the bolt is not fully proj ectedf-wheii engaged with the keeper, due to warping of thel door,forvothe'r causes,`V the hand-le will at all times beheld against looses ness bythe spring 37'. u l' In Figs` 8 to 13A there Yisillustra-ted a modified4 adaptation of the latch, in which the handle is `'arranged at right angles to the direction of movement of the latch bolt.

*For this purposefthe ears 23 and 24 are blanlred and bentff'rom the casing at right A'angles to their placement inthe first form, the. structure of the easing lbeing otherwise the saine, and the same blanking and forming toolsbeing used. The handle does notkv engage directly with the latch bolt, asin the first form, but operates through an intermediate lever member 45. As shown* in Figs. 12 and 13, this member is formed from .sheetgmetah and hasfa `pivot boss 46'pr'essed Vtherefrom at one side and' aV latch-bolt-engaging'boss 47 pressed therefrom at the other side. The lever member is mounted inthe lateh byV engaging its boss 46 ink the center hole 27-off the casing, the boss 47 engaging; one of the lugs 40`ofthe latch bolt.

1 The finger 35 of the handle is vshorter than in the first form, and engages acamming portionV 48 `of the lever member, the outward swinging of the handle, as shown in Fig. 9,

causing the .lever member to be rotated, and

Athrough it retracting theV bolt;

In order tol provide 4a latch. ofi'thistype,

wherein the bolt is disposed inthe opposite direction, the finger 35 of the handle is provvidedaoi'i. theotlier' flange thereof, and the position of the lever member 45 is reversed, the V-booses beingl provided for this .purpose of theopposed..sides,that is, with the niember as shown fin Fig. v12, the bossx46, 'will'y project at the underside and the boss y47 will project at-theeupper. side. The latch bolt andits 4spring. `are merely reversed` in the casing, .the-provision of the lugs40 .atfeachkr longitudinal edge, *andA the symmetrical-form of the. casing, permitting this, without any change` in.4 their; construction. vThe latch, accordingto your `invention,v is

is' reliable in operation, and by'reasonof its formation from sheet metal may by the, mere Vtransportation `Yof the handle supports rbe adapted for .either horizontally or vertically shownin Fives; StolB conipreliends,- with practically nor additional tool. expense, production of, right or left hand door latches of the vertical handle *type shown tliereiinor of the horizontal handle type shown l to 7. y

NVe Ahave illustrated and described preferred and Asatisfactory embodiments of our invention, but it will be obvious that changes j of very simple and inexpensive'.construction, 7

disposed handles. l,The `structure f in Figs.

may be madetherein, within the spirit and scope thereof, as defined in thel appended claims; Y 1

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secureby Letters Pat-V ent isir` y. 1 f j l.` In a1 latch,l a `flanged. casing having a pair of handle supports stampedl and bent therefrom and'providing aiiopen portionbetween said supports,A ai handle siipportingV pin extending transversely between said sup l ports, said flangehaving opposedlatch bolt receiving slots, alatch bolt slidably engaged in ,saidj slots, a spring within said casing adapted to normally Vproj ect said bolt, a lever said pin Vand including a .topportiom side portion extended into the casing through said open portion, said side flange: portions, `adapted to normally abut the upper side of saidcasing at one sideyofsaid open portion,

and a spring coiled about-said pin and hav- Y 125 ing an end ei'i'ggfaged with the topf'portion of said handle and adapted: to :yieldabl'y hold handle mounted between said supports upon i flange portions and a `latch boltfy actuatingV i the fsame in 'its normal posit-ion independent ly of" the latch bolt;`

2. In alatch,a sheet iiietal-flangedcasing having a pair of handle supports stamped and bent therefrom and providing an openV portion between said supports,` said flange having opposed latch bolt receiving slots, a latch bolt slidably engaged in saidv slots, a sheet metal lever handle having side flanges bent therefrom j engaged and,` vpivotally mounted between said supports and including a. bolt actuating extension on one of said flanges extended into the casino` through. said' C D :D

open portion. Y ,I

3. In a latch, ay flanged casing having a pair of handle supports stamped and bent therefrom and providing an open portion between said supports,said flange having opi and including al latch bolt actuating portionA ,20

ifi

posed latch bolt receiving slots, aflat sheet metal latch boltslidably engaged in said slots including a projecting lug portion, a lever handle mounted between said supports extended into the Vcasing through said open portion.

'4. In aI latch, a flanged casing having a pair of handle supports stamped and bent therefrom and providing an open portion between said supports,Lsaid flange having opposed latch bolt receiving slots, a flat sheet metal latch bolt slidably engaged in `said slots including transversely aligned projecty opposed latch bolt receiving slots, a latch bolt slidably engaged in-said slots ins-paced relation to the top of the casing. a lever handle mounted between saidsupports and including a latchA bolt actuatingportion eX- y tended into the casing `through said open portion, and a rota-ry" memberv pivotallyl lmounted within the casing between the vsame and said bolt for rotation in a plane parallel to the movement of the bolt, rengaged respec-v t* tively7 with lsaid latch bolt actuating portion of the handle land the bolt, and adapted upon actuation of the handle to retract the bolt.

6. In a latch, a flanged casing'having a pairof handle supportsstainped andbent therefrom and providing Aan 'openkportion between said supports, said fla-nge having opposed lat-ch bolt receiving slots, a latch bolt slid-ably engaged in said slots in spaced relation to the top of the casing, a lever handle mountedbetween said support-s and in'- cluding a latch bolt yactuatingv portion `entended into the casing through said open portion, and a. sheet metal rotary memberr having a pivot boss and 'a latch boltengaging boss respectively stamped therefrom at oppositey sides, pivotallyfmounted within the casing between thesame and said bolt for rotationv 1n a plane parallel to the movement of the bolt, engagedrespectivelyV with said I latch bolt actuating portion of the handle vand the bolt, and adapted upon actuation of the handleto retract the bolt. I

Signed at Bridgeport, county of Fairfield,

and State of Connecticut, this 4th 'day of June, 1926.. f 1

RAYMOND e. Moolen Y Y y ARTHUR cLAUn-Manfriin 

